Hailing from Kharachi, Slaves Awakening are a five piece thrash band causing waves both in the local scene and worldwide.

Two of their tracks, 'No Way Out' and 'Prison Of My Mind' have had radioplay on BCFM here in the UK, so any readers that are are listeners of Jon's show will be very aware of them.

They have an eEP of sorts available on both Soundcloud and Reverbnation, with both their own tracks and covers and also videos available on Vimeo. A full length album is underway, and projected to be released in June this year.

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They topped the bill on last year's 'Resurrection' concert in Kharachi, along with Khorne who I reviewed in an earlier column. Lyrically they cover themes such as confinement, revenge, imprisonment, religion, war and death.

Well, 'Prison Of My Mind' is a ballad, a haunting riff takes you through the majority of the song, mostly bass and acoustic guitars and Waheed Abro's vocals here are very good. He knows when to sing softly, putting just the right amount of emotion in. Three minutes in, the whole things revs up; distorted vocals and instruments kick in and Umair Khan pulls a top drawer solo out, before the acoustic reprise.

The second original so far is 'No Way Out'. This track tips a nod to Black Sabbath, a very bassy heavy riff underlies everything, vocals with just the right amount of distortion, all balanced nicely with drummer 'Wakky' keeping time at the back.

Finally comes 'Voice Of Silence' and a very bassy riff underpinned with Wakky's drumming keeps everything together. Umair's soloing here is very crisp and not overplayed and for a demo version it all sounds pretty tight.

Despite the nod to bands like Sabbath, Motorhead and Children Of Bodom, Slaves Awakening have their own distinct style which should gel well with listeners over here. Catchy riffs together with choruses that you will be singing along to make these songs stick in your head. Another plus is that Wakky's drums are 'live drums'.

This is a band to watch and I look forward to reviewing the full album in June, when the 'rough' versions will be properly mixed. Until then, enjoy the very finished 'Prison Of My Mind'.